For many years, school children have been playing various tabletop games during lunchtime. One of the more popular games is tabletop football. The game is played with a triangularly shaped, planar football typically made from a folded piece of notepaper.
While there are many variations, in the basic game, two players sit opposite each other across the table. With the football lying on its side, the first player flicks a finger in a manner to propel the football across the table. As the football travels, it typically rotates about it axis. If the football fails to reach the other side of the table or goes past the edge and falls off, no points are scored. However, if the player is successful in causing the football to stop in a manner such that only a portion thereof extends beyond the edge of the table, a touchdown is scored.
If a touchdown is made, the shooting player may attempt an extra point. In this situation, the other player will form a "goal post" with his fingers. The shooter will stand the football in an upright position, with one corner resting on the table and another corner held by a finger. The shooter will then flick a finger in a manner to project the football into the air. If the football passes over and between the make-shift goal posts, and extra point is awarded. A similar procedure is performed with field goals.
One of the drawbacks with this form of play is that footballs formed out of notepaper were not very durable. As the football was used, its shape and rigidity would change so that play would not be consistent. In addition, the presence of various liquid refreshments in the lunchroom posed risks for the life of a paper football. Further, a paper football tends to be flat. When flicked across the table, significant friction arises between the football and the table, inhibiting the spinning motion. Another problem with footballs made from notepaper is that the corners of the triangle come to a sharp point, making it difficult to balance the football in a stable manner during a field goal attempt.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop a triangular football suitable for tabletop games which did not suffer from these drawbacks.